In the last update, I had hoped we would hit 30 by now. In fact we did actually hit 27. However, as is always the problem with Crane Counts, projects start nearing completion in quick succession so now we're back down at 22. However, we do have a lot of projects (big projects!) now just starting to gear up, so hopefully by November we'll hit 30?

This development update charters the first three month period where we know the results of the EU referendum. At the last update - in August - post-referendum Britain had only existed for a month and a half. This means that this update can be used to find the early effects of Brexit Britain on Manchester's development economy.

Manchester currently has more projects under construction than it has since the previous economic boom. The amount has slowly
been steadily increasing since the beginning of 2016.

The number of projects holding planning applications (but which aren't under construction) is always on the rise, we seem to always have a pretty constant pipeline of projects in Manchester which ensures that construction will continue way into the future. The number of projects currently making their way through the city's various planning departments (including those waiting to start construction) now stands at 163 (up from 155 in August). With both construction and planning application numbers steadily rising, it would be safe to conclude that the development economy in Manchester remains healthy.

The number of completed projects (on which construction has stopped, including internal works, and the building or structure is occupied/open) has decreased from 13 in August 2016 to 8 now. Notable completions include the tower at Wilburn Wharf, and Renaker's Two Greengate project in Salford.

The number of projects under construction (on which construction activity has begun, in the form of diggers, of drills or of cranes etc) has increased again from 86 to 93. There's potential for this number to hit 100 by summer 2017 if this current trend continues, although there are a number of projects now nearing completion which may challenge this.

The number of projects which are 'Shovel Ready' (on which construction has a high chance of beginning by the next Update in three months time) has increased from 24 to 28. Shovel ready projects are the nearest to starting construction, so that this has also risen is a good sign.

The number of projects holding planning approval has increased from 86 in August to 88 now. There was an almost endless stream of planning committees by the various city councils between May and August which led to a large rise in the number of projects holding approval. While more than just two applications have been approved this quarter, a number have already moved up into Groundworks or even Construction, which means the increase isn't as notable.

Projects holding a planning application which hasn't yet been approved stands at 47, Up from 45 in August.

The number of "Red" projects (those which are masterplans or visions without a planning application, not including framework applications) has decreased from 60 to 58 now.

Large-scale project news

Construction continues at Renaker's Owen St project. The tallest element - Tower A - will be Manchester's tallest building upon completion, at 200.5m/64 floors. Piling has now completed at the site's Tower D, which will be 44 floors and 140m, construction will start here first. Hopefully by the next update in February 2017 we'll see a core rising on this site.

Bupa have now begun construction on their new Salford Quays headquarters - which will be 6 storeys tall.

X1 have begun construction on Coda Studio's 21 storey The Gateway development, also at Salford Quays, which will contain 191 apartments.

Construction has now begun on the Axis Tower at Deansgate Locks, which will be 28 stories tall and contain 173 apartments. At 93m, it will stand 24m shorter than 5 Plus Architect's 10-12 Whitworth St tower, which has now started groundworks.

DeTrafford have started construction on 27-29 Ellesmere St, which will contain 232 apartments. Next door, DeTrafford have also now announced No1 Castlefield - a stunning development by Ollier Smurthwaite which will contain 419 apartments.

Manchester Life have begun construction on 158 new apartments at Sawmill Court in Ancoats (Jersey St).

Groundworks have started at Dandara's 995-apartment scheme at Chapel Wharf, Salford: and groundworks have also begun at Adelphi Wharf's Phases 2 and 3.

The Trafford Park Metrolink line has been given TWAO approval, meaning it can now start construction: workmen have already been spotted clearing plants and vegetation along the route ready for its imminent construction.

Muse's 520-apartment/150,000sqft office development at New Victoria next door to Victoria station has been approved, as has Manchester Life's 201-apartment development at Weaver's Court.

St John's Place has been approved. As well as three other buildings, this development contains a 52-storey, 168m skyscraper.

After much deliberation, Yo! Homes won approval for its folding-home apartment complex in New Islington.

Vivere Group have lodged a planning application with Salford City Council for their 525-apartment CityView scheme off Regent Road in Ordsall.

Fred Done has announced plans for a 183-apartment scheme off Church St in the Northern Quarter, to be named CituNQ, while Fortis have announced plans for a 645-apartment masterplan scheme at Fortis Quay (Salford Quays). The masterplan includes a 27-storey tower.

Salford Council have announced their wishes to create an 800-acre "City Forest Park" in the Irwell Valley, on the Salford-Bury border.

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Categories

Apartments

Summary of facts

There are now just over 5,000 apartments under construction across central Manchester, Salford Quays and Trafford.

You can view the full list of apartments, quantity of apartments, planning status, borough, developer and architect by clicking this link. I won't post it here because it's quite sizeable.

There's a healthy pipeline of apartments across all boroughs, with the City Zone taking up the most pipeline with just over 16,000 apartments planned and/or Under Construction. This is closely followed by central Salford with over 12,400. Overall, there is a total of nearly 39,000 apartments planned and/or Under Construction across Manchester.

8,373 homes currently have planning permission to start construction, and there are over 4,000 new homes currently going through the planning system across central Manchester.

Renaker remains the most active developer in the city, with nearly 3,000 apartments in their pipeline - followed by X1 with 1,802. Renaker and X1 also lead on the number of apartments under construction, however with Cambridge St, One Regent and Wilburn Wharf all looking to complete construction soon this reign may soon be over for now.

Another good three months for apartment construction, however there has been a bit of a slowdown compared to the three months to August 2016. In Salford, Wilburn Wharf Block A and Two Greengate both completed construction at once - meaning Salford's count fell quite sharply and wasn't picked up by the number of projects starting construction. With Dandara now beginning development at their 995-apartment Chapel Wharf development, the Salford count is set to increase once more.

This graph shows total apartments U/C and total apartments with a planning app.

Huge rises in both the City Zone and Salford Quays bolstered by numerous large projects now going into planning in both boroughs. Salford has recovered from its August low point where Middlewood Locks Phase 1 began construction, taking those apartments out of the 'in planning but not under construction' section.

Hotels

Summary of facts

The total number of hotel bedrooms in the pipeline has increased since August - from 3,170 to 3,380.

The majority of new hotel bedrooms in the pipeline are located in the City Zone - which contains 2,819 of the total, up from 2,609 in August.

There are 632 hotel bedrooms under construction across Manchester currently.

Full list:

Offices

Summary of facts

1.2 million sqft of office space under construction across all boroughs - up from 1 million sqft in August.

The majority of this is located in the City, which has 5.4 million sqft in the total pipeline.

Total pipeline is at nearly 7.8 million sqft.

Full list:

Tall Buildings

Everyone's favourite!

Since the last tall buildings update, Trinity Islands has been redesigned which has thrown speculation onto exactly how tall the towers here will be. What we do know is that Trinity Fields tower 1 will be 64 stories, so using St John's Place floorheights I calculated the total height to be roughly 196m, tipping Beetham by quite a margin to become the second tallest planned Manchester building.

St John's Place has now been approved.

BILT have launched a planning application for City View in Salford - which will rise 82m above Regent Road in Salford to become Manchester's 48th tallest building.

Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens will be getting a £10m redevelopment, including new bars and restaurants, improved lighting on a rather shady part of the square, new trees and plants as well as raised grass areas.

__________________"Then each time Fleetwood would be not so much overcome by remorse as bedazzled at having been shown the secret backlands of wealth, and how sooner or later it depended on some act of murder, seldom limited to once."

Yeah, I like it too, having a few more unusual designs breaks up the towers and boxes a bit.

Here's another new proposal for apartments and ground floor retail/mixed use that was put forward a couple of weeks ago for an area on the edge of the current city centre. Schemes like this will be good to house the rapidly expanding city centre population as there is still quite a lot of ex-industrial land that needs redeveloping in those locations.

Keeping a plentiful supply of new apartments coming will also help keep property reasonably inexpensive which should in turn help attract more young professionals looking for alternatives to more expensive parts of the country.

An OMA-designed arts venue first revealed in 2015 has been given planning approval by Manchester City Council, moving the £110 million facility another step towards realization. Factory will occupy the site of the former Granada TV Studios, which once housed productions for famous shows like Coronation Street and University Challenge until 2013.

Often criticized for its perceived bleakness, Japanese architect Tadao Ando's concrete pavilion at Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens would be replaced under a multi-million-pound overhaul to the busy public space. Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets (L&G), in partnership with Manchester City Council, has announced plans to regenerate the square, working with Urban Edge Architecture on establishing a clear vision for the property.

Residential development in Manchester has reached its highest level since 2008 as a raft of new skyscrapers are set to change the landscape of the city centre, according to Deloitte Real Estate’s Manchester Crane Survey.

Some 22 new residential schemes have started construction on site, eight more than the previous high of 14 in 2008.

The annual survey, now in its 16th year, reports 6,963 residential units are currently under construction, compared with the last year’s crane survey of 2,982.

Simon Bedford, partner and head of Deloitte Real Estate in the North West, who led the survey with assistant director Melissa Wilson, said: “Our construction pipeline monitors residential development through to 2020 and shows a number of exciting schemes set to evolve the city’s skyline.

“Four towers over 25 storeys high have begun construction, marking a new, exciting era for housing in Manchester. One of which, Owen Street, is set to become the highest residential building in the UK.”

The crane survey identifies the trend for major refurbishment office schemes with eight of the nine new starts being refurbishments. Total office space in the pipeline totals 1.4 million sq ft of floorspace.

This represents a 76% increase on the 10-year average for floorspace under construction.

“The increase in office refurbishment projects comes as developers and landlords maximise the value of their assets in light of a rapidly expanding business community,” continued Bedford.

“12% of this floorspace is pre-let, and we expect strong occupier demand to continue throughout 2017.”

The hotel sector continues to deliver and diversify the tourist offer. Adding to the 338 rooms delivered in 2016, a further 1,040 rooms are currently under construction in the city and expected to complete this year.

The crane survey suggests that 2017 will see the largest delivery of hotel rooms since data collection for this sector started in 2006.

Education-related developments follow a strong period of delivery from 2012 to 2014, which saw approximately 750,000 sq ft of space completed.

This year, approximately 200,000 sq ft started construction in addition to the 289,000 sq ft currently being refurbished.

Bedford said: “For the first time, Manchester can expect to import more graduates than it exports this year, continuing its positive trajectory of talent retention and helping to grow the city-living market.

Address: HoUSe phase 2 all plots, New Islington, City Zone Manchester M4

Architect: Shedkm

Floors: Townhouses 3 floors, apartment blocks 6 floors

No. of homes: 104 (84 apartments, 20 townhouses

Completion: 2018

Developer: Urban Splash

Current status

Under Construction

Nearest transport

Looks like construction has now started on the latest modular housing scheme at New Islington. HoUSe New Islington Phase 2 - "Mansion House" will consist of two modular apartment blocks containing 84 homes, and the usual 3-storey modular townhouses which we've seen in phase 1.

101 Embankment is now looking pretty complete. Photos from various Manc forumers.

The new building sits at the gateway to one of the city's major peripheral regeneration districts, and as such it was advised that the scheme should provide an attractive ground floor street scene in order to knit the area in with the rest of the city.

The outcome of that is these retail units, as well as new paving and lighting underneath the railway viaducts.

Those bronze towers are pretty interesting, but not nearly as impressive as how HUGE that guy's hands are!

__________________"Then each time Fleetwood would be not so much overcome by remorse as bedazzled at having been shown the secret backlands of wealth, and how sooner or later it depended on some act of murder, seldom limited to once."

Yes, it's very much a post-industrial city, from late 1960s until probably mid 1990s was pretty much relentless industrial and population decline, in fact population of the city proper had been declining since pre-WWII with suburbanization as people left the crowded inner city.

From the mid-90s after a big IRA terrorist bomb made a big mess of parts of the city centre there were efforts to kick-start urban regeneration there and at the dock areas nearby in Salford which had become disused and abandoned by the mid-80s. That led to a building boom in the early 00s and the city population statrted growing again, the financial crash of 2008 put the brakes on for a few years but now development is back on track.

The post-industrial legacy means there are a lot of empty sites around the fringes of the city centre for new projects, or in some cases conversions/renovations of old warehouse and mill buildings.

The population of the whole metro area is growing at a moderate pace, but much of that is concentrated in the central core which is growing pretty rapidly.

Services will begin operating on the Second City Crossing (2CC) on Sunday 26th February, allowing much more operational flexibility across the network - not to mention a boost to capacity.

2CC marks the final jigsaw in Metrolink's £1.5bn Phase 3 "Big Bang" expansion, which has seen the network treble in size, and when the Trafford Park line opens in 2020 there will be over 100 stations on the network.

The capacity increase will allow a doubling of frequency on some lines, from 5 trams per hour to 10 trams per hour.